CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2:Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. Wishes to find Old Man of the Moon in order to change her family's fortune.Has to choose which question to ask Old Man in the Moon. Grace Lin, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Despite her mother's disapproval of stories and dreaming, Minli gathers her courage, her resourcefulness, and her openness to new people and places, to take a remarkable journey to accomplish the impossible. Using the borrowed line of text and the line of destiny, the adventurers stitch a kite that stretches into a bridge, and Minli goes on alone to meet the Old Man of the Moon. The page had been treasured by the kings of the city for generations. This character visits the Village of the Fruitless Mountain early in the book and at the very end. GradeSaver, 25 April 2017 Web. Show students a collage picture frame with multiple photos or draw one on the board. In the morning, she sneaks out of the house and releases the fish into the river. Classroom world map or map of Asia (It would be ideal to have a printed or projected map.) The art is absolutely beautiful. Assess the second copy of Worksheet 2 for completeness, accuracy in recalling details of the story, and mechanics of writing. This is quite a minor character. How can the links between the frame story and the embedded Chinese folktales be represented to show how they reinforce the underlying themes of courage and generosity? They have a line of red thread that was once given to them by the Old Man of the Moon, who told them to keep it until it was needed. ), If you wish, divide students into pairs. An editor "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Summary". publication in traditional print. This character was a cruel ruler of the land in which all the main landmarks (save the moon) were located over a century ago. All storyboards are private and secure to the portal using enterprise-class file security hosted by Microsoft Azure. This book has many pages, yet it is the perfect amount for me. Then do the same for high ground: mountain, hill, crag, and slope. Slides or photos of challenges for Activity 1. Along the way, Minli meets a special friend. Have you described the characters in the story with enough vivid detail so that the reader can picture them and understand their actions? While these tales are original to Lin, many characters, settings, and themes are taken from traditional Chinese folklore. Under house have students brainstorm as many words as they can for house: mansion, shack, apartment, rancher, hut, etc. Dragon also reveals that he was born from a painting and came to life when his eyes were painted. When he lands, he says that he feels like he is home. Her mother, Ma, complains that these stories are foolish and harmful. Together they fly home to Minli's village. As you look at the embedded folk tales in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, what are three values that seem to be important? . resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Chapter 1 Summary. All rights reserved. He is tied up with some ropes, so Minli cuts him free. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. His fortune is even poorer than hers, but he does not seem discontent. We walked down the hall and into the classroom. Have you added vivid details about how you met the challenge? When Minlis parents discover that she is missing, they run after her. The people and the houses look happy and prosperous. I think it is good for many different ages, from 7-year-olds to 12-year-olds. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Thus she spent much of her childhood trying to ignore her Asian heritage in order to fit in better with her peers. The Old Man instructs Minli to remove a rock on Dragons head it has been keeping Dragon from flight. At the top of the bridge, Minli finds the Old Man of the Moon sitting in the center of a large room full of small clay figures. "Bringing fortune to our house! My teacher said she was really surprised and she told me how she felt about my pet. The goal of this activity is to have students engage with the text through a series of focused questions listed by chapter and page in Worksheet 1. Once again, she has created a charming, engaging book for young listeners. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. As an optional activity, they may make a bulletin board or wall display that shows the embedded stories within the frame of the main narrative. She decides to let it go because of how bitter it made Ma. The goldfish man says that Minli, too, may be able to change her fortune. She accomplishes her tasks, undertaken with the help of a talking dragon, by showing generosity, courage and integrity. Themes. If the boys in the class seem likely to find it difficult to identify with a female protagonist, suggest that they imagine a twin brother accompanying her on her journey. [4] It has been translated into Chinese, French, Hebrew, Romanian, Korean and Slovene.[5]. It is at this point she asks the Old Man in the Moon Dragons question. This book is great, I recommend if you want great light reading. What are three things you can do to make your narrative even better? When Dragon and Minli reunite, each is surprised to learn that the other has found a borrowed line. They rush to make her breakfast, and then Ba sees the bump from Dragons head, which Minli has brought home with her. The cellar was dark and kind of creepy. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Knead the dough a few times so that the vanilla extract can distribute evenly. They become friends, and Dragon offers to be her steed for the journey, despite the fact that he cannot fly, unlike other dragons. Far away from here introduces the suggestion of an exotic location and/or time; The Jade River suggest China, which is known for jade. Tell students that before they write the story, they are going to practice the skill of using vivid language. Find Symbols in the Story (learn about Chinese symbolism) She ultimately meets the king, and he willingly gives up the borrowed line, which is revealed to be a page from the Book of Fortune, a legendary book that tells of fates and can be read only by immortal folk. The line written there has changed again. Character map is unfinished and/or disorganized. Characters included in the character map are: (These instructions are completely customizable. Tell students about Grace Lin, using information from the Background section. Inspired by her fathers stories and dedicated to her family, Minli decides to leave and seek a more prosperous future for them all. My mom and I first read it as part of my Sonlight curriculum and we loved it. Tell students that they are going to read the book and keep a reading journal; explain how you would like them to proceed, i.e., how many pages or chapters to read and which journal questions to answer. The next day she finds a stream, but it is salty. It turns out the goldfish can talk when people want to hear it. (p19) In the book Where the Mountain meets the Moon, What is contained in the old man in the moon's book of Fortune? will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. Are all your sentences complete and correctly written? Minli realizes she has to go on alone, but before she leaves, she promises to ask Dragons question for him. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him how she can change her familys fortune. This first activity introduces the book and requires students to read it and keep a journal. She grows up on tales of magical people and places from Ba, her father. Grace Lin introduces Minli, the main character well, as a girl who wants to change their fortune when her mom repeatedly talks about how poor they are. After each assignment, review the journal questions in a class discussion or individual reading group discussions. Stop believing stories and stop wasting your time. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating Many of the notes have correct information, but some are incorrect or missing. Identify (4) Traits for this character and supply evidence2. What do you think is the secret of happiness? The following day, Minli then sets out, freeing the goldfish so as not to burden her parents further, and leaves the village to find "the old man of the moon". In returning to Fruitless Mountain, Dragon also meets his mother, Jade Dragon. Activity 2, Key Scenes: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, follow the directions at the beginning of Day 2. young girlflowing black haircaringadventurousgenerous. What an engaging book! Lin's love of Chinese culture is evident in her creation of vivid new folktales that are built into the narrative in such a way that they become a seamless part of the story and their messages are thus relevant and meaningful. Perhapsyou need to trust her, the goldfish man says. Soup of the Day at Jama Rattigans Alphabet Soup, Book of Color Pick of the Day at Galley Cat. Along the way, they encounter selfish monkeys, whom Minli manages to trick into letting them pass, and together they enter the City of Bright Moonlight, where Minli leaves Dragon in a cave and takes refuge in a boy's home. Go over the worksheet to be sure that students understand it. Which characters in the book prove to be true friends? Consider the traits of that particular character. Writing the narrative of their own challenge gives students a chance to reflect on the themes (courage, persistence, imagination, resourcefulness) of the Lin novel from the first two lessons as they see them enacted in their own experience. The boy is poor and has nothing but a buffalo but helps her find the king, who possesses a borrowed line of text, which is essential to finding the Old Man of the Moon. Remind them that to be a narrative, a story must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The journal topics generally cover a group of chapters; teachers may assign them all at the beginning or assign individual topics as appropriate. However, he informs her that she can ask only one question. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Choose a scene or background that makes sense for the character. Determined to change her familys fortune, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, urged on by a talking goldfish who gives her clues to complete her journey. . I cannot say enough good things about this book. Minlis determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her absence, is compelling and thoroughly human. Minli feels guilty when her father gives up some of his food for her fish. Map Your Own Connections (with red threads) Make two copies for each pair of students to use in analyzing the embedded stories. Design a costume for the character. The Jade Dragon reunites with one of her children, Dragon, and transforms Fruitless Mountain to Fruitful Mountain. However, at the last moment, the Old Man of the Moon transported the family magically to a new home, where they continue to livepoor but contenttoday. date the date you are citing the material. Created by wonderful reader, Emme (age 11), and perfect for Book Clubs or families that read the book together, this board game is delightful fun. This is quite a minor character. While Minli has this adventure, Dragon waits outside the city. The principal told me that was not a good idea. To her surprise, the fish speaks and says that it has swum every river of the world except the Jade Riverthe one Minli has brought her to now. This character came to life from the magic ink by which it was painted and flew away. The setting is somewhere in China. This book, a celebration of the importance of imagination and story, introduces upper elementary students to Chinese culture and tradition. This is the god character who knows the future and permits the heroine to ask him a single question. GradeSaver, 5 February 2018 Web. Ask them what qualities she showed as she overcame these challenges (for example: courage, cleverness, persistence). 1. After you claim a section youll have 24 hours to send in a draft. Every night, Minlis father tells her stories about the Jade Dragon that keeps the mountain bare, the greedy and mean Magistrate Tiger, and the Old Man of the Moon who holds everyones destiny. Distribute copies of Worksheet 2. One exceptionally effective way of conducting a critical discussion is by the Socratic seminar method which is increasingly popular. eNotes.com, Inc. Ask students to think of and share other types of challenges they have seen or experienced. How does this character interact with the main character. What details do you notice that show that this story is not taking place in the United States? For number 4, you could even ask students to walk across the classroom to act out the sentence as they rewrote it. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. The main characters are Minli, Ba, Ma and Dragon. Do you like books with magical elements? In thanks, the fish tells Minli how to travel to Never-Ending Mountain to find the Old Man of the Moon, who may know how Minli can change her familys fortune. Minli rescues Dragon and includes him in her quest to find the Old Man of the Moon. This summer I finally able to purchase the book and re-read it a third time. This strikes Minli because The Old Man is what she thought, only a character from her father's stories. (Something that takes great physical or mental effort to do successfully) Show students photos of types of challenges (see Preparation and Resources) and discuss the types of challenges shown. Minli's restlessness is her central conflicted character trait. A couple years after we sold that curriculum, I borrowed it from our local library and read it again. She says they make Minli dream instead of focusing on the reality of the familys poor fortune. Within the portal, all users can view and copy all storyboards. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. He wrote a single word on a sheet of paper, but the magistrates soldiers lost it on the way home. It was even better than I remembered! (Most students will say it is very big and has a huge population; a few may be able to bring up current events involving China.) Ma sits down at Bas feet and says that it is not his fault Minli left, but hers. WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON is a fantasy-fiction story where Chinese Folklore is engraved throughout the story. She invites them to come with her to see the Old Man, but they laugh and say, Why would we want to change our fortune? Minli is left to ponder these words as she flies a kitemade of both the paper and the thread from the City of Bright Moonlightinto the sky. In the story that the girl told the Great Green Tiger she stated that another tiger had taken her brother to be his slave for life. JOIN GRACES MAILING LISTYoull receive her Author Newsletter in your email inbox! 2. Ba, however, seems glad that Minli is so hopeful. Spurrier, Leslie. [Optional activity: Show them the first 1:40 minutes of Al Rokers interview with Grace Lin in which she covers much of the same material. Optional Activity Grade Level Standard. Be sure to include evidence from the text in their answers. The meaning of that gift can only be revealed by reading the book. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance She has written over a dozen books, many of them using Asian American child characters, in an effort to help Asian American children appreciate their heritage and to create the kind of books she wished she had been able to read when she was growing up. The stone lion gives the thread to Dragon. After contemplating her choices, Minli chooses to ask Dragon's question for him: Why can he not fly? Written by people who wish to remainanonymous. Students will provide
Sift (A) into a mixing bowl. (for grades 3-6), 2010 Newbery Honor NY Times Bestseller (Feb 4th, March 14th 2010) IndieBound Bestseller 2010 Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award 2010 Indies Choice Book Awards Finalist For Middle Reader Book of the Year Al Rokers TODAY Show Kids Book Club Pick, December 2009 2010 Mythopeic Fantasy Award for Childrens Literature Starred Kirkus Review Starred School & Library Journal Review Starred Booklist Review Booklist Top 10 SF/Fantasy for Youth:2009 2009 Parents Choice Gold Winner 2010 CCBC Choices List 2010 EB White Read-Aloud Honor Book 2010 Massachusetts Book Award for Childrens/Young Adult Literature, I dont think that, in the fourteen years I have worked as a childrens bookseller and the 16 years I have been a mother buying books for her children, I have ever seen such a magnificently illustrated, beautiful gem of a book hit the shelves. Tanya from Books4yourkids.com, This is a flawless little gem of a book, written in a straightforward, warm tone that always has a hint of a smile in itThere is a lovely sense of satisfaction as one link after another is connected, until the entire shape of the book is revealed like a Chinese knot seemingly complicated yet pleasing and harmonious. Eva from Evas Book Addiction, Booklist*Starred Review* In this enchanted and enchanting adventure, Minli, whose name means quick thinking, lives with her desperately poor parents at the confluence of Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River. Tell them the novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is like the picture frame, with one main frame story holding many other stories within it. Then, my mind suddenly shouted, How about that book from the library? I bolted to get the book and started to read. She's dutiful, empathetic, curious, and resourceful. The second is the date of Ask them to tell the groups how they felt after dealing with this challenge. What benefits did they get from the stories? He alone recognizes it as a dragons pearl, a treasure worth as much as the Emperors fortune. Is your story really a narrative? When students have finished reading the book, hold a Socratic seminar or other type of discussion. When she does so, the goldfish tells her directions to Never-Ending Mountain, where a wise immortal known as the Old Man of the Moon lives. In the book, what were many suggestions about the word that was written on the paper the Magistrate wantedthe secret of happiness. The depth of Minlis affection for Dragon is put to the test, as is her loyalty to her family. 2023
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